Held from June 23 to June 25 across all 4 halls of the venue, the show also showcased various auto parts suppliers, from tires to original replacement parts, along with various auto loan financier institutions.
The exhibits
This year was quite grand in terms of brand new showcases as it was the first time this many brands came forth to showcase their cars. What hitherto had been a one-hall ordeal, this year cars were strewn across multiple halls.
Hall 4 was almost exclusively cars with Toyota showcasing the Veloz, Raize, Avanza, Corolla Cross, Rav 4 and the Rush. Honda brought forth their usual lineup along with a new contender, the newest generation of the Honda Civic, which happens to be one of the best buys in the market.
Next to them came Haval with the new POER pickup truck along with their previous offerings, and Hyundai showcased all of their products starting from the massive Palisade to the new Tucson and Sonata and their smaller sedan, the Elantra. AG group drew quite a crowd with their showcasing of the Peugeot 508 which boasts a futuristic styling as well as their Jeep Wrangler posed right beside it. Kia showcased the Sportage, Seltos and Carens.
In Hall 3, Continental motors made the biggest bang with a Cayenne Turbo, a Mercedes Maybach GLS600, the new Defender and a Maserati Ghibli.
Speaking of bangs, the MG ZS EV was one of the only electric cars being showcased at the venue alongside the HS PHEV and ZST. The second electric car was a van from DFSK.
The Motor Show also saw showcases from Mitsubishi and Proton, along with many other displays of commercial vehicles from ACI, Energypac, Tata and even a few from Toyota.
This year’s show was definitely for the bikes as it saw over 50 motorcycles being put on display. Showcases varied from daily drivers, scooters and even sports bikes. The Runner stall was particularly exciting as it displayed multiple bikes over the local displacement limit, with the stand-out example being the 250cc Runner Dominator and a new Dayang-badged 200cc ADV motorcycle, official called the Dayang Timo DY200-6.
In addition to teasers, some new models also made their debut at the motorshow. GPX Generic Bangladesh unveiled the new GPX Deamon 165 ABS, featuring Dual Channel ABS and a new 4 Valves Engine. KTM Bangladesh pulled off the covers from the KTM 2022 RC 125 Racing edition while Hero Bangladesh introduced the Passion XPro XTec, a 110cc commuter with a plethora of practical features.
Large sections of the venue were reserved for motorcycles test rides and stunt shows, which ranged from morning to late evening. Suzuki arguably put on the largest show with the stunts, music and showcasing but it saw action from all brands including but not limited to Suzuki, KTM, Hero, Zontes, Lifan, Vespa, Runner, Bajaj, Yamaha, GPX, Taro Bangla, Honda, Aprilla and TVS.
The auto parts show was also booming with stalls from Pirelli, Maxxis to Bridgestones and various importers bringing riding gear, car accessories, helmets, automotive lubricants and much more. One-third of the Hall 1 was dominated by helmet vendors. GearX, Vulcan Lifestyle, Jerra etc all had dedicated stalls. Safety is becoming more and more of a concern amongst riders of today and their needs are being met by numerous brands. Vulcan had one of the biggest booths, offering safety buckets from various prominent brands HJC, Axxor and more. In addition to dedicated booths, bike stalls also showed their ware, notable examples being the TORQ helmets at the GPX booth as well as AGV showcased at the Runner booth.
A side of motorshow that was always valued but not fully enjoyed and showcased this time around was the part where the enthusiasts got to show their cars off. During previous iterations of the show, a large section used to be solely dedicated to enthusiasts bringing and parking their cars where they got to mingle and talk and show their cars off. That was a large part of why the Motor Show reached the heights that it did; we all went for the community. Although there was a small get-together of enthusiast vehicles at the parking lot, it was nowhere near the grandeur of Motor Shows past.
Overall it was a great event, showcasing a lot of new things from uncountable brands. It saw representation in all ways from luxury cars to daily drivers, motorcycles, parts importers as well as commercial vehicles. We are eagerly waiting for an even grander event next year.
